When My Cousins Come to Town

by Angela Shanté (Author) Keisha Morris (Illustrator)

When My Cousins Come to Town
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A fun, lively story of Black family and cousin culture that celebrates individuality and embraces differences.

Fitting in can be hard, but standing out isn't easy either! Every summer a young girl eagerly waits for her cousins to come visit and celebrate her birthday. All her cousins are unique in their own ways and have earned cool nicknames for themselves... except for the girl. But this year things are going to be different. This year before summer ends, she's determined to earn her own nickname!

Filled with warmth, love, and laughter, When My Cousins Come to Town brings all the energy and love of a big family to prove that you don't need to be anyone else to be special--just the way you are is exactly right!

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Hardcover
$17.99

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Kirkus

An adorable book about being true to yourself and the joys of family, especially cousins.

Publishers Weekly

The unnamed first-person narrator, a Black girl with round red spectacles, topknots, and braids, "can feel it in my pinky": when her six cousins visit the city this summer, she'll finally earn a nickname from them. As each cousin arrives, the protagonist attempts their specialty. From oldest cousin Lynn (nicknamed "Spice"), the narrator requests cooking lessons, which go awry. To emulate musical twins Shamyia and Eli ("Star" and "DJ-E"), she practices singing in the mirror, resulting only in the neighbors--represented by a variety of fists in varying skin tones--"bang on the wall to get me to stop." The summer proceeds in this manner, culminating in a birthday reveal. Layered, collage-style art by Morris features rounded panels and centers warm relationships. Shanté aptly portrays the experiences of a young city denizen, peppering the family-centered tale with resonant cultural details. Ages 6-9. (May)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"This endearing picture book from Shanté (The Noisy Classroom, 2020) is a beautiful ode to Black families and the bond cousins have. . . Shanté's love letter to Black families and the typical relationship Black children have with their cousins is smartly complemented by Morris' bold, vivid illustrations of the cousins' summer antics, often from the main character's perspective. This story about wanting to feel included will be a storytime must!"— "Booklist"
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781513267227
Lexile Measure
660
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
West Margin Press
Publication date
May 04, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV011010 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - African-American
Library of Congress categories
African Americans
Picture books
Family life
Individuality
Cousins
African American children
African American families
Individuality in children
Nicknames

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